


Duel at Dawn

by Monica_Rambeau



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: And I have so many feelings about these two, BAMF Lauren Shiba, Other, Power Rangers Reunion, Sibling Bonding, Working through feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-04 02:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16338164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monica_Rambeau/pseuds/Monica_Rambeau
Summary: The Shiba siblings finally get a chance to talk.(or: I have many unresolved Samurai feelings, and you all must suffer with me!)





	Duel at Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in this fandom (or any fandom beyond Girl Meets World, for that matter). Pretty sure it's just trash, but when has that ever stopped me?!

The sun had just begun its arduous journey from the depths of the horizon as Jayden Shiba emerged from the massive front doors of his ancestral family home. He wore an easy smile on his face, sniffing the air with a casual pleasure that still sat strangely on his shoulders. The thought of a time before he felt free to revel in a moment like this stole his smile away, but only for a moment.

 

The world wasn’t his to protect anymore. And he was fine with that.

 

Another breath and he bounced excitedly onto the training platform, grabbing a shinai from the rack and twirling it in his hand before assuming a ready stance. The act was more natural than breathing, and the flurry of movements that sprang from it flowed as a river rushing down a mountain. Every move led to the next with a graceful purpose, each strike increasing in power as the combination continued.

 

All at once he stopped, the smile widening on his face. He closed his eyes, stock still and silent, taking in the miniscule changes in the pressure below his bare feet, the sweet scent of flowers drifting to his nose, only slightly differing from those growing in the garden.

 

Only another instant passed before Jayden swung around with blinding speed, just in time to block the swift strike of another bamboo sword.

 

“I can’t believe I got this close without you noticing,” admonished the petite blonde wielding the weapon.

 

Jayden’s grin threatened to overtake his face as he struck back with two concurrent blows.

 

“I noticed you,” he goaded, “I just wanted to see what you’d do.”

 

The stern, shorter face looking back at him finally broke out into a smile of her own. Coupled with her furrowed brow, an observer might have taken the expression as sinister.

 

Her brother knew better, of course.

 

Loud clacks echoed throughout the Shiba garden as the siblings resumed their duel, jumping to dodge swipes and rolling to gain position.

 

“Y’know, it’s been 3 months, I thought you’d be more surprised to see me,” Lauren said as she thrusted forward.

 

“I knew you were coming back,” Jayden smirked as he barely batted the attack away.

 

“Well, my little brother just knows everything, doesn’t he?” Her bare foot shifted on the mat with strength and power, providing the young woman leverage to leap in the air for an arching slash. Jayden was thrown, failing to block enough to maintain his footing. He fell to the mat with a loud thump, his sword dropping beside him.

 

“… except to keep in practice, evidently,” she huffed, slightly surprised to find herself with her wooden blade at the side of his head.

 

Once the shock of the blow faded, Jayden let out a short chuckle from the floor.

 

“War’s over, sis. No need to kill ourselves training anymore.”

 

A cloud passed over Lauren’s face in that moment, forcing her to remove her weapon from her prone brother’s face and turn away.

 

“Right…” she muttered.

 

“What’s wrong?” Jayden said behind her.

 

Lauren shook her head, forcing her emotions away before turning casually with a small smile.

 

“Nothing! I’m—“

 

Her sentence was stopped dead by a gasp as her brother’s shinai swung to her face with blinding speed, stopping only an inch from her cheek.

 

“’Nothing,’ huh?” His tone was still jovial, but the concern was impossible to hide from his face. “’Nothing’ wouldn’t let me get an easy shot on you like that.”

 

She kept his gaze hard, eyes impassive as she seemed to take him in. A look of disgust seemed to pass by her face, followed by a wave of guilt.

 

“I didn’t get the chance to tell you before…” she said, impassively, “… you look just like dad.”

 

In a blur she swatted away the weapon at her face, spinning to strike relentlessly with her sword. Jayden returned the attack blow for blow, until a low sweep knocked his legs out and he found himself on the floor again, his sister’s blade at his throat.

 

“And you… fight just like him…” he offered through heavy breaths.

 

Lauren’s mouth opened slightly with shock, her face registering a flurry of emotions before allowing herself to be flattered. She broke out of her reverie suddenly, realizing what she’d done to her brother. She reached down to help him up.

 

“Jayden, I…” She turned away, ashamed. He stood silently, giving her time to speak.

 

“He gave me one job… one thing to do… and I failed.”

 

Jayden rose his hand to reach for her, his mouth opening, but nothing came out.

 

“He trusted me, believed in me, expected me to master the Sealing Symbol…”

 

Her hands clenched tightly.

 

“… locked me away to master it. Kept me from the only family I had…”

 

She turned back to see him, his face soft with sympathy, through her tears.

 

“… to save the world. And it was all for nothing. I couldn’t even—“

 

“I’m sorry, Lauren.”

 

She turned again, not bothering to wipe away the moisture on her cheeks. Her eyes were wide with confusion. His head was down, his eyes hidden in shame.

 

“You’re right… the Sealing Symbol failed. Dad’s plan failed… but it wasn’t because of you.”

 

He looked up to meet her startled gaze.

 

“It’s my fault.”

 

She shook her head, as if the action would clear up any confusion.

 

“Jayden…”

 

“When you came back… Lauren, I’d been alone for so long, too. But then… when the team came together, when we became like a family… I started to forget that it wasn’t mine. That I was just a placeholder… for the real Red Ranger.”

 

There was no hiding the pure compassion covering her expression now. The tears she cried were no longer for herself.

 

“So when you came back, and I knew that the Rangers were yours… I left. And it wasn’t for the sake of the team, or to avoid split loyalties. All it did was create more conflict… turn them against you, and maybe… that was what I wanted, deep down.”

 

A tear escaped his eye as he looked to his sister.

 

“I wanted them to still need me.”

 

He sniffed, and Lauren saw the little boy she’d left behind so many years ago.

 

“The team split up when you should have been hunting down the Nighlok. I fractured the Rangers when you needed them together the most. If I’d stayed… we could have worked together, built their trust in you… instead of forcing them to pick sides.”

 

He exhaled, long and sad.

 

“If I hadn’t been so… you could have found the Nighlok, stopped Dayu before Xandred could absorb her. Your Sealing Symbol would have worked, and you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

 

“You don’t know that,” she said softly.

 

He watched her as she wiped her eyes.

 

“I should have been able to keep them together, even when you ran off to pout with Deker.”

 

He let out a loud, relieved laugh at that, even as the tears remained.

 

“So I guess we’re both screw-ups, huh?”

 

“No,” Lauren said firmly, walking to her brother. “It was a bad plan. Dad split us up, forced us to keep secrets… and that’s not how families should fight their battles.”

 

She reached up and, as she had when they were children, wiped his tears away with her thumb. His breathing calmed at the distantly familiar gesture.

 

“Then how about, from now on,” Jayden said, “We fight together.”

 

Lauren could feel decades of resentment and anger melt from her shoulders as she looked up at the man her brother had become. She smiled wide and hopeful before wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tight.

 

“Deal.”

 

They smiled at each other as they pulled back, nodding knowingly.

 

“And step one,” Jayden offered, picking up his shinai, “Is figuring out who we are beyond Red Rangers.”

 

Lauren laughed a sad laugh at that as she reclaimed her own weapon.

 

“Jury’s still out on that one.”

 

“Well,” Jayden took his stance again, “I play the guitar now!”

 

She laughed, standing ready herself.

 

“Ha! Since when?”

 

“About 10 minutes after you left. Ji got it for me. A little ‘Congratulations On Not Dying' present.”

 

“Well,” she sighed as she struck first, “I’m not sure I’m the musical type.”

 

“You could try teaching,” Jayden said as he parried and sliced back, “I hear it’s very rewarding.”

 

“What, because I’m a woman I have to work with kids?”

 

“I was thinking because you’re a grand Kendo master and you have a lot to share, but sure, let’s go with that.”

 

They laughed together, easier and lighter than they had ever been.

 

“And when would I get the chance to do something like that?”

 

“SENSEI JAYDEN!”

 

The young voice calling from the garden archway startled Lauren, but sent another smile to Jayden’s face. She looked over to see nearly a dozen children, each accompanied by a parent, enter the estate and run toward the training platform.

 

“How about right now?”

 

Two of the kids hugged Jayden right away, while others picked up their own shinai from the racks next to the mat, preparing for class.

 

“You teach Kendo?” Lauren laughed, more than a little bewildered.

 

“Well, I’m a grand Kendo master, and I have a lot to share.” His smirk made Lauren want to punch him, but the joy bubbling up in her forced a smile onto her face.

 

“Are you our guest teacher?”

 

She looked down to see a little boy, practice gi awkwardly tied, staring up at her in awe.

 

“Wh- I’m sorry?” She managed.

 

“Last week, Sensei said that we’d have a guest teacher at the next class, and that she was the best samurai in the world.”

 

Her disbelieving gaze met Jayden’s self-satisfied one.

 

“Did he, now?”

 

“I told you, I knew you’d be back.”

 

“Yeah,” said another kid, waving her sword around nearby, “But he says that at the end of EVERY class, so—“

 

The girl was cut off by a hand quickly clasped over her mouth. He tossed an embarrassed grin at his giggling sister.

 

“Working with kids is so rewarding.”

 

“I’ve heard that,” she laughed.

 

He tossed her his shinai.

 

“Time to learn it yourself.”

 

Jayden clapped and his students took their spots on the mat, resting on their knees, facing Lauren. The blonde samurai took only a moment to adjust before straightening up.

 

“Good morning, students. I am Sensei Lauren. Now…”

 

She spared a quick smile at her beaming brother.

 

“Who wants to be a samurai?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> LAUREN SHIBA = #1 RED RANGER!! 
> 
> Sorry, hadda get that out.


End file.
